Thursday, May 14, 2015

May 14, 2015 - NEBRASKA, UNITED STATES - Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts declared a state of emergency on Thursday in order to help battle the spread of bird flu in the state.

The action taken by Ricketts makes Nebraska the fourth US state to declare an emergency from the rapidly spreading bird flu virus. The decision was made after federal agricultural officials confirmed a second farm site tested positive for the disease.

"This declaration give us additional tools to effectively deal with this disease. We have a poultry sector valued at $1.1 billion, so obviously the impacts of avian influenza will be far-reaching," said Ricketts at a press conference.

Nebraska's decision follows earlier actions taken by governors in the hardest hit states of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The virus has led to the culling of more than 33 million birds in 16 states. Governor Ricketts said the state has already benefited from local, state and federal agencies.

Bird flu outbreak hits Nebraska, marking the 16th state to report cases in a flock. FOX Business

"The Nebraska Department of Agriculture is coordinating with several state agencies for a thorough, expeditious response. While not a human threat, the discovery of avian influenza is a serious situation for our poultry sector, and I want to provide responders with access to all appropriate tools to address it," he said.

Declaring a state of emergency opens doors to releasing funds and other aid to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, as well as other state agencies, to contain the bird flu outbreak. It gives agencies the power to track, monitor and respond to confirmed cases of the virus throughout the state, containing those animals already confirmed to have the disease.

It also grants them culling, disinfection and disposal powers, and lets them conduct surveillance and early detection practices to stop the spread of the disease.

"Having a second farm in Nebraska confirmed to have HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) is unfortunate but not completely unexpected," Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Greg Ibach told reporters, according to Reuters.

Ibach said the number of chickens that have died or will be killed has grown to more than 3.5 million. Both Nebraska farms are under quarantine.

Reuters reported that the US poultry and egg industry have been struggling for months with the biggest outbreak on record. Until this week, the outbreak was concentrated in Western States. On Monday, the virus was detected in an Indiana backyard poultry flock. - RT.

May 14, 2015 - SPACE - At 6:52 (CDT) tomorrow morning, an asteroid discovered on May 12 by the Mt. Lemmon Survey
near Tucson will make an unusually close flyby of Earth, passing just
186,410 miles (300,000 km) away. That’s closer than the moon! Named 2015 JF1,
we needn’t worry about getting hit. The asteroid is not on a collision
course; it will miss our planet and move on before you’ve even finished
your morning coffee.

Based on its brightness, astronomers estimate its diameter at just 33
feet (10 meters) across. That’s small enough that even if it did
someday make a beeline for Earth, 2015 JF1’s supersonic encounter with
our atmosphere would shatter it into harmless pieces. Probably burn up
much of it.

Earth-approaching asteroid 2015 JF1, discovered on Tuesday, will pass only 3/4 of a moon distance from Earth early tomorrow morning. Credit: Gianluca Masi

The space rock reaches peak brightness in the hours before closest
approach late tonight, but will be too faint at magnitude +16.5 to see
in amateur telescopes. Seasoned astrophotographers should have no
problem recording it with cameras attached to a tracking telescope.

Time exposure centered on asteroid 2015 JF1 taken May 14 through a 17-inch telescope. Because the telescope tracked the asteroid, the stars appear as trails. Credit: Gianluca Masi

So many of these asteroids are discovered every year by a variety of different surveys, it’s no surprise how often their smaller members enter Earth’s atmosphere, nearly all harmlessly thank you very much. According to NASA, every day Earth is bombarded with more than 100 tons of dust and sand-sized particles. About once a year a car-sized asteroid (about half as big as 2015 JF1) burns and breaks up before hitting the surface. Looking farther into the future, a football-field sized asteroid strikes the planet about once every 2,000 years, causing significant damage.

A new NASA map from the space agency’s Near-Earth Object Program, reveals that more than 556 space rocks smashed into the atmosphere over a 20-year period between 1994 and 2013. Credit: NASA

Space rocks smaller than about 82 feet (25 meters) will most likely burn up as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere and cause little or no damage.

After a look at the new map above showing how many space rocks have pelted the planet in the past 20 years, you might feel like your number will soon be up. Don’t worry. Your odds of getting struck and killed by a meteorite are about 1 in 700,000. You’re much more likely to die in more routine but equally horrible ways — car crash, earthquake, airplane crash or flood or a terrorist attack (1 in 19,000). But an asteroid hit isn’t the least likely by far. Getting crushed and killed by a vending machine rates at 1 in 112 million. - Astrobob.

This May 7, 2015 photo shows a hallway in closed Francisco Oller
Elementary School in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The school located just
outside the capital is among nearly
100 that have been shuttered as the
island struggles through a worsening economic crisis that has prompted
many to move to the U.S. mainland over the past decade.
(AP
Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

May 14, 2015 - PUERTO RICO - Francisco Oller Elementary
School once bustled with kids, but now birds nest in classrooms strewn
with leaves and glass from shattered fluorescent lights. Long-discarded
homework assignments paper the ground. Graffiti covers the walls.

Located in a city just outside San Juan, the school is among more than 150 shuttered in the last five years as a worsening economic crisis has prompted hundreds of thousands of people to move to the U.S. mainland over the past decade.

Driven by a combination of budget cuts and declining enrollment, the loss of so many schools is having a profound impact on communities in the U.S. island territory, forcing many children to commute to new campuses and creating a blight in places already hard-hit by recession.

The government says the situation could get much worse. It warned just days ago that by early 2016 it may run out of money to pay its bills, and over the next five years it may have to close nearly 600of the 1,460 public schools that once existed to save $249 million a year. Currently, there are 1,387 schools across the island.

This May 1, 2015 photo shows a sign that reads in Spanish “Caution
children crossing” outside the Rosa Rivera Santiago elementary and
middle school in Arecibo, Puerto
Rico. Teachers say this public school
is among dozens expected to close permanently this summer, raising
concerns that some children might have
to travel a half-hour by on a bus
to the nearest school. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

The trend "speaks volumes about how we're losing population, about how we're not being efficient in building the island's future, about how we're losing opportunities to create citizens," said San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz. "I'm extremely concerned this will increase the hopelessness and mistrust that the island has in itself and lead people to think that the only option to succeed and support their families is to leave the island."

Puerto Rico has seen school enrollment drop 42 percent in the past three decades, and an additional 22 percent drop is expected over the next five years, according to a report by the Boston Consulting Group, which signed a multimillion-dollar deal with the government to help restructure the island's education system. Much of the drop is the result of parents moving to the mainland U.S. in search of better opportunities, including many teachers being recruited from the island for their bilingual skills.

Among the tens of thousands of people who left last year was 27-year-old Devis Gonzalez, who moved his family to Orlando, Florida, after finding a job as a truck driver.

This May 7, 2015 photo shows an empty patio at the closed Francisco
Oller Elementary School in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Driven by a combination
of budget cuts and declining enrollment, the loss of so many schools is
having a profound impact on communities in the U.S. island territory,
forcing many remaining children to commute to new campuses and creating a
blight in places already hard-hit by recession. (AP Photo/Ricardo
Arduengo)

"The reason was plain and simple: work," he said. "Like everyone else, we were looking for a better quality of life."

His young son attended a school in a rural area of Puerto Rico's central mountain range that teachers say is among dozens expected to close permanently this summer, raising concerns that some children might have to travel a half-hour by bus to the nearest school.

Nina Craig, a biologist from Ontario, Canada, who lives in the north coastal municipality of Arecibo and whose son attends school there, said the countryside is being stripped of services.

"I think it's inappropriate to be closing schools in the country just because they have a smaller population," said Craig, who owns a farm in Arecibo, her husband's hometown. "We can't just all of us move to the city or all of us be commuting to the city."

The closures have also hit urban areas. The Francisco Oller school, named after a Puerto Rican impressionist painter, closed in 2010, reopened its doors for part of 2012 to receive children from another school that was being remodeled, then was abandoned for good. People in an adjacent working-class neighborhood complain that the empty school has been vandalized and is now being used as a shelter by drug addicts, a scene repeated around the island.

Many criticize the government's handling of the closures, including Sen. Mari Tere Gonzalez, president of the Senate's education commission.

This May 7, 2015 photo shows a third-grade essay about immigration on
the floor of a classroom at the closed Francisco Oller Elementary School
in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The government warned it may run out of money
to pay its bills by early 2016, and over the next five years it may have
to close hundreds of public schools. “I’m extremely concerned this will
increase the hopelessness and mistrust that the island has in itself
and lead people to think that the only option to succeed and support
their families is to leave the island,” said San Juan Mayor Carmen
Yulin. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

She said officials did not take transportation logistics and special education needs into account. The Boston Consulting Group noted that 30 percent of Puerto Rico students receive specialized education, twice the average in the U.S. mainland.

"We have to condemn the way in which it was done," Gonzalez said. "Our duty is to make sure that the rights of students aren't being affected when it comes to services."

Education Secretary Rafael Roman did not respond to requests for an interview. He has said the exodus of nearly 45,000 Puerto Ricans a year and the island's low birth rate will keep driving down enrollment. The island has seen its population dwindle to 3.5 million people, with nearly 411,000 students attending public schools. Roman's department has not said which schools it will close next, angering parents and school officials who note that enrollment for the upcoming school year ended in March.

"All of us parents are in limbo," said Rafael Feliciano, a former teachers union president who now leads a group fighting the closures. "They are taking these measures behind our backs ... It's a disgrace."

In the meantime, the government is putting some of the closed schools up for sale on a real estate website. The listing for the Francisco Oller school says it would be a good location for commercial businesses, medical offices or even a new school.

Steam and smoke being ejected by Mount Bulusan. Screen grab from News5.

May 14, 2015 - PHILIPPINES - The government is reminding people to continue staying away from Mount
Bulusan in Sorsogon despite the apparent lull in steam-driven explosions
there, warning the volcano continues being in a state of unrest.

"People
must refrain from entering Bulusan's permanent danger zone (PDZ) and
approaching the volcano as we can still expect sudden explosive
extrusion of ash and steam there anytime," said vulcanologist Winchelle
Sevilla from state-run Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology (Phivolcs).

He warned that upcoming explosions can even be more intense than the events that Phivolcs monitored earlier this month.

According
to Phivolcs, potentially intense hydrothermal processes may already be
underway beneath Bulusan's crater, thus possibly leading to more
steam-driven explosions there.

Steam-driven, or phreatic
explosions, are eruptions that occur when water beneath the ground or on
the surface is heated by magma, lava, hot rocks or new volcanic
deposits and drive volcanic material outward through geological fissures
or the crater itself.

Phivolcs also reported the
occurrence of four and five volcanic earthquakes in Bulusan,
respectively, during the previous two days.

Sevilla said the
number of volcanic earthquakes in Bulusan this week represents a
"significant rise" from the one to two tremors Phivolcs usually monitors
there during the volcano's normal times.

Since Bulusan is on
Alert Level One status, Phivolcs reiterated people must avoid entering
this volcano's PDZ, and pilots must avoid flying their planes close to
Bulusan's summit as phreatic eruptions can be hazardous, Phivolcs added.

People
living within valleys and along river/stream channels should be
vigilant against sediment-laden stream flows and lahar in the event of
heavy and prolonged rainfall, the Phivolcs bulletin said. - InterAksyon.

May 14, 2015 - CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA - There has been another earthquake in the region.

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A
4.7 magnitude tremor was recorded east of St Lucia around 10:16 a.m.
today, according to the University of the West Indies (UWI) Seismic
Research Centre.

The tremor occurred 64 kilometres east of the capital, Castries, 100
kilometres southeast of Fort-de-France, Martinique and 132 kilometres
northeast of Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines at a depth of 21
kilometres.

USGS shakemap intensity.

The National Emergency Management Organization said there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

On May 2, a 4.5 magnitude quake was recorded off Barbados, following a 3.9 magnitude tremor on April 27.

The UWI Seismic Research Centre has reported 13 quakes in the region since the start of the year. - Caribbean 360.

Tectonic Summary - Seismotectonics of the Caribbean Region and Vicinity

Extensive diversity and complexity of tectonic regimes characterizes
the perimeter of the Caribbean plate, involving no fewer than four
major plates (North America, South America, Nazca, and Cocos).
Inclined zones of deep earthquakes (Wadati-Benioff zones), ocean
trenches, and arcs of volcanoes clearly indicate subduction of oceanic
lithosphere along the Central American and Atlantic Ocean margins of
the Caribbean plate, while crustal seismicity in Guatemala, northern
Venezuela, and the Cayman Ridge and Cayman Trench indicate transform
fault and pull-apart basin tectonics.

Along the northern
margin of the Caribbean plate, the North America plate moves
westwards with respect to the Caribbean plate at a velocity of
approximately 20 mm/yr. Motion is accommodated along several major
transform faults that extend eastward from Isla de Roatan to Haiti,
including the Swan Island Fault and the Oriente Fault. These faults
represent the southern and northern boundaries of the Cayman Trench.
Further east, from the Dominican Republic to the Island of Barbuda,
relative motion between the North America plate and the Caribbean plate
becomes increasingly complex and is partially accommodated by nearly
arc-parallel subduction of the North America plate beneath the
Caribbean plate. This results in the formation of the deep Puerto Rico
Trench and a zone of intermediate focus earthquakes (70-300 km depth)
within the subducted slab. Although the Puerto Rico subduction zone
is thought to be capable of generating a megathrust earthquake, there
have been no such events in the past century. The last probable
interplate (thrust fault) event here occurred on May 2, 1787 and was
widely felt throughout the island with documented destruction across
the entire northern coast, including Arecibo and San Juan. Since 1900,
the two largest earthquakes to occur in this region were the August
4, 1946 M8.0 Samana earthquake in northeastern Hispaniola and the July
29, 1943 M7.6 Mona Passage earthquake, both of which were shallow
thrust fault earthquakes. A significant portion of the motion between
the North America plate and the Caribbean plate in this region is
accommodated by a series of left-lateral strike-slip faults that bisect
the island of Hispaniola, notably the Septentrional Fault in the north
and the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault in the south. Activity
adjacent to the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault system is best
documented by the devastating January 12, 2010 M7.0 Haiti strike-slip
earthquake, its associated aftershocks and a comparable earthquake in
1770.

USGS plate tectonics for the region.

Moving east and south, the plate boundary curves
around Puerto Rico and the northern Lesser Antilles where the plate
motion vector of the Caribbean plate relative to the North and South
America plates is less oblique, resulting in active island-arc
tectonics. Here, the North and South America plates subduct towards
the west beneath the Caribbean plate along the Lesser Antilles Trench
at rates of approximately 20 mm/yr. As a result of this subduction,
there exists both intermediate focus earthquakes within the subducted
plates and a chain of active volcanoes along the island arc. Although
the Lesser Antilles is considered one of the most seismically active
regions in the Caribbean, few of these events have been greater than
M7.0 over the past century. The island of Guadeloupe was the site of
one of the largest megathrust earthquakes to occur in this region on
February 8, 1843, with a suggested magnitude greater than 8.0. The
largest recent intermediate-depth earthquake to occur along the Lesser
Antilles arc was the November 29, 2007 M7.4 Martinique earthquake
northwest of Fort-De-France.

The southern Caribbean plate
boundary with the South America plate strikes east-west across
Trinidad and western Venezuela at a relative rate of approximately 20
mm/yr. This boundary is characterized by major transform faults,
including the Central Range Fault and the Boconó-San Sebastian-El
Pilar Faults, and shallow seismicity. Since 1900, the largest
earthquakes to occur in this region were the October 29, 1900 M7.7
Caracas earthquake, and the July 29, 1967 M6.5 earthquake near this
same region. Further to the west, a broad zone of compressive
deformation trends southwestward across western Venezuela and central
Colombia. The plate boundary is not well defined across northwestern
South America, but deformation transitions from being dominated by
Caribbean/South America convergence in the east to Nazca/South America
convergence in the west. The transition zone between subduction on
the eastern and western margins of the Caribbean plate is
characterized by diffuse seismicity involving low- to
intermediate-magnitude (Magnitude less than 6.0) earthquakes of shallow to
intermediate depth.

The plate boundary offshore of Colombia
is also characterized by convergence, where the Nazca plate subducts
beneath South America towards the east at a rate of approximately 65
mm/yr. The January 31, 1906 M8.5 earthquake occurred on the shallowly
dipping megathrust interface of this plate boundary segment. Along
the western coast of Central America, the Cocos plate subducts towards
the east beneath the Caribbean plate at the Middle America Trench.
Convergence rates vary between 72-81 mm/yr, decreasing towards the
north. This subduction results in relatively high rates of seismicity
and a chain of numerous active volcanoes; intermediate-focus
earthquakes occur within the subducted Cocos plate to depths of nearly
300 km. Since 1900, there have been many moderately sized
intermediate-depth earthquakes in this region, including the September
7, 1915 M7.4 El Salvador and the October 5, 1950 M7.8 Costa Rica
events.

The boundary between the Cocos and Nazca plates is
characterized by a series of north-south trending transform faults and
east-west trending spreading centers. The largest and most seismically
active of these transform boundaries is the Panama Fracture Zone. The
Panama Fracture Zone terminates in the south at the Galapagos rift
zone and in the north at the Middle America trench, where it forms part
of the Cocos-Nazca-Caribbean triple junction. Earthquakes along the
Panama Fracture Zone are generally shallow, low- to intermediate in
magnitude (Magnitude less than 7.2) and are characteristically right-lateral
strike-slip faulting earthquakes. Since 1900, the largest earthquake
to occur along the Panama Fracture Zone was the July 26, 1962 M7.2
earthquake. References for the Panama Fracture Zone:
Molnar, P., and Sykes, L. R., 1969, Tectonics of the Caribbean and
Middle America Regions from Focal Mechanisms and Seismicity:
Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 80, p. 1639-1684.

Emergency workers look through the remains of a derailed Amtrak train in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania May 13, 2015.

May 14, 2015 - PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES - An executive from Wells Fargo is among those who died in a train accident late Tuesday in Philadelphia.

The bank confirmed that Abid Gilani, a senior vice president in Wells Fargo's hospitality finance group, was among the victims.

Gilani had previously worked at Marriott, according to his online bio.

Abid Gilani was among the victims of Tuesday's Amtrak crash.

"It is with great sadness that Wells Fargo confirms that Abid Gilani, a valued member of our Commercial Real Estate division, has passed away," the company said through a spokesman. "Our hearts go out to all those impacted by this tragedy."

Details remain sketchy surrounding the incident. Earlier today, the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed the train was traveling in excess of 100 miles per hour at the time of the accident.

An Amtrak engineer who resides in New York spoke with investigators, but declined to interview with police, according to a report, and has hired a lawyer. - Business Insider.

5.7 MILLION birds now killed (or to be), after new outbreak in Minnesota, United States

One new Minnesota turkey farm has been hit by bird flu, raising the state's total to 85 since the outbreaks were first confirmed in early March.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health says the latest case is in Swift County. The flock size hasn't been reported yet, but Minnesota turkey and chicken producers have now lost nearly 5.7 million turkeys and chickens to the disease.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture now reports over 140 findings of highly pathogenic avian influenza across the country, which have affected more than 30 million chickens and turkeys.

Minnesota, the country's top turkey producing state, has had the most farms hit by the H5N2 virus, but Iowa, the country's top egg producer, has lost by far the most birds at more than 24 million. - Star Tribune.

At least 200 camels die of mysterious disease in Pakistan

Dead camels.

At least 200 camels have died of an unconfirmed viral disease during
last one week and around hundreds are suffering from it in Noorpur Thal
area, according to local media on Monday.

Local livestock department said, the animals suffered shivering
and bleeding from the nose accompanied by coughing and finally died.

"The villagers and traders have lost more than 200 animals so far", official said.

"The local people have been asked not to eat meat till the further
advisory, a warning alert had also been issued in this regard", he
further explained.

He said that villagers were trying to save the diseased camels
through traditional methods and many cases were administering them opium
but to no avail.

In Noorpur Thal, a tehsil of Khushab, a camel is used for travelling in
desert, fetching water, transporting loads and luggage, ploughing and
recreational activities and price of a prized camel runs into Rs150,000
to 200,000.

Local elders asked the Punjab government to take immediate steps to counter this mysterious disease so that to avoid huge loss. - Daily Pakistan.

Arctic terns arrive late on breeding grounds in Iceland

The Arctic tern has arrived in Iceland a week later than usual,
according to ornithologist Jóhann Óli Hilmarsson in the South Iceland
town of Stokkseyri, mbl.is reports.

The birds, which make a roundtrip of around 90,000 kms (56,000 miles)
from Iceland or Greenland to their wintering grounds in Antarctica, take
part in by far the longest known migration in the animal kingdom.

Arctic tern nesting has gone badly in parts of Iceland in recent years due to a lack of sandeel for the young birds. - Iceland Review.

Survey: More than 40 percent of bee hives died in past year

In
this Jan. 28, 2014, file photo, a hive of honey bees is on display at
the Vermont Beekeeping Supply booth at the 82nd annual Vermont Farm Show
at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Jct., Vt. Since April 2014,
beekeepers lost 42.1 percent of their colonies, the second highest loss
rate in nine years, and then managed to recover a bit, according to an
annual survey conducted by a bee partnership that includes the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.(AP Photo/Andy Duback, File)

More than two out of five American honeybee colonies died in the past year, and surprisingly the worst die-off was in the summer, according to a federal survey.

Since April 2014, beekeepers lost 42.1 percent of their colonies, the second highest loss rate in nine years, according to an annual survey conducted by a bee partnership that includes the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"What we're seeing with this bee problem is just a loud signal that there's some bad things happening with our agro-ecosystems," said study co-author Keith Delaplane at the University of Georgia. "We just happen to notice it with the honeybee because they are so easy to count."

But it's not quite as dire as it sounds. That's because after a colony dies, beekeepers then split their surviving colonies, start new ones, and the numbers go back up again, said Delaplane and study co-author Dennis vanEngelsdorp of the University of Maryland.

What shocked the entomologists is that is the first time they've noticed bees dying more in the summer than the winter, said vanEngelsdorp said. The survey found beekeepers lost 27.4 percent of their colonies this summer. That's up from 19.8 percent the previous summer.

Seeing massive colony losses in summer is like seeing "a higher rate of flu deaths in the summer than winter," vanEngelsdorp said. "You just don't expect colonies to die at this rate in the summer."

Oklahoma, Illinois, Iowa, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Maine and Wisconsin all saw more than 60 percent of their hives die since April 2014, according to the survey.

"Most of the major commercial beekeepers get a dark panicked look in their eyes when they discuss these losses and what it means to their businesses," said Pennsylvania State University entomology professor Diana Cox-Foster. She wasn't part of the study, but praised it.

Delaplane and vanEngelsdorp said a combination of mites, poor nutrition and pesticides are to blame for the bee deaths. USDA bee scientist Jeff Pettis said last summer's large die-off included unusual queen loss and seemed worse in colonies that moved more.

Dick Rogers, chief beekeeper for pesticide-maker Bayer, said the loss figure is "not unusual at all" and said the survey shows an end result of more colonies now than before: 2.74 million hives in 2015, up from 2.64 million in 2014.

That doesn't mean bee health is improving or stable, vanEngelsdorp said. After they lose colonies, beekeepers are splitting their surviving hives to recover their losses, pushing the bees to their limits, Delaplane said. - AP.

Kazakh authorities say some 100 saiga antelope have been found dead in a
northern region, with few clues as to what killed the critically
endangered animals.

The Kazakh Agriculture Ministry says local forest inspectors found the
animals' remains in the Amangeldy district of the Qostanai region on May
11.

It is the latest mass die-off to strike the increasingly rare ungulates in the Eurasian steppe region.

In May 2012, nearly 1,000 dead saiga antelope were found, also in
Qostanai. Environmental activists blamed those deaths on the landing in
the region of a Russian spacecraft carrying a Russian-American crew from
the International Space Station less than a month earlier.

That connection has never been proven, and the Agriculture Ministry
later said the deaths were the result of an infection carried in the
mouth and breathing passage called pasteurellosis.

In 2012 and then 2014, Kazakh officials said dozens of saiga
antelope were found shot dead with their horns removed in the
northwestern region of Aqtobe and the northern region of Aqmola, adding
that saiga horns are used in traditional Tibetan and Chinese medicine.

Mystery surrounds dead fin whale found on beach in Cullera, Spain

Zoologists in Valencia are investigating the death of a six-tonne whale that washed up near the shore this week.

Guardia Civil agents patrolling the area spotted the whale in shallow
waters on Monday morning. They said it was floating lifelessly towards
the shore and deployed a boat to protect the animal from oncoming
vessels.

Five hours later, the whale washed up on a beach in Cullera, a town
about 30 miles south of Valencia. Police at the scene confirmed it was
dead.

Zoologists from the University of Valencia have been investigating the
animal's death. They confirmed it was a fin whale, one of the most
common species in the Mediterranean.

WATCH: Dead whale found on Spanish beach.

"It was female - most likely an adult," Patricia Gozalbes, at
the University of Valencia, said. "It showed no signs of a collision
with a vessel or being caught in a net." The whale's advanced state of
decomposition meant little more could be deciphered about its death, she
said.

Lured by the large population of krill, fin whales often frequent the
waters off the Valencian coast to feed, Gozalbes said. They tend to wash
up onshore in the region at a rate of about one a year. - The Guardian.

Large dog attacks owner in Falls Township, Pennsylvania

A cane corso or Italian mastiff.

A Falls man was seriously injured Tuesday when his own dog bit him in the face, township police said.

Police were called to the 300 block of Trenton Road at 4:55 p.m. and
found a female 2-year-old Italian mastiff, also known as a cane corso, had bitten its owner in the face, said Lt. Hank Ward.

The man suffered severe face traumaand was taken to St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown.

It is unknown if the dog was provoked or what circumstances led to the
attack, which occurred inside the house. There were no children present.

Ward said family members called 911. He said the township's animal
control officer is investigating; the dog remains with the family.

An Italian mastiff can grow to 110 pounds, according to an animal website.

No further information was released because the injured man suffered
facial trauma leaving him unable to talk to police, Ward said. - Bucks County Courier Times.

Unusual fisher attack on dog in Ledyard, Connecticut

Buca, the dog attacked by fisher

When Buca the dog arrived at the back door covered in blood, his family had no idea what happened.

"Large pools of blood were all over the rear steps," Edward H. Wenke, III told Patch.

This was around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 6.

"We heard no disturbances prior to this occurring," he said. "The next
morning we found his blood trail leading out of the woods in our rear
yard."

"We originally thought it may have been a coyote," Wenke said. "However,
the following night, I heard a series of bizarre 'crying/screeching'
from the same wooded area. After research on the web, I found several
audio files of fisher cats that were exactly what I had heard."

A fisher.

The Wenke family rushed Buca to the V-E-T-S Animal Triage Clinic in Oakdale and said it was out of business.

"It was midnight by then and we lost over an hour," Wenke said. "I
mention this so that anyone in a similar situation should know that this
previously reliable 24/7 emergency animal service is no longer
available."

He then rushed Buca to the Ocean State Emergency Animal Hospital in Greenwich, R.I.

WATCH: Fisher cat screaming in front yard.

"We got Buca stabilized by 4 a.m., but he was in shock from the blood loss," Wenke said. "His
head, face and throat were badly injured and they had to put numerous
stitches plus drains to close the wounds. He also has a bite taken out
of his ear."

The vet told Wenke some of the puncture wounds were up to 1.5" deep.

"Luckily, by a miracle, his arteries and esophagus remained intact," he
said. "But his recovery will be long term. He is one hurting puppy."

Wenke said he wanted to share Buca's story so people see what kind of injuries fisher cats can cause.

"Ledyard Animal Control has been notified and they suggest that we hire a
licensed trapper to get this critter out of the area," he said. - Patch.

Woman buried alive by bear following attack in Russian woods

Saved for dinner: Having left her with serious
injuries, the bear mistakenly believed Natalya Pasternak to be dead and
partially buried her beneath a pile of leaves - apparently planning to
return later and eat her

A Russian woman has been buried alive by a bear which was apparently
saving her for its next meal after attacking and seriously injuring her.

Mother-of-two Natalya Pasternak, 55, had a miracle escape after her
friend managed to flee the forest near Tynda in the Amur region and
raise the alarm.

Having left her with serious injuries, the bear mistakenly believed the
postal worker to be dead and partially buried her beneath a pile of
leaves - apparently planning to return later and eat her.

But having been rescued alive, the woman is now fighting for her life in nearby Tynda Hospital.

A shocking photograph taken by police shows Mrs Pasternak lying
under the pile of foliage where the bear had buried her. Here clawed and
bloodied arm is visible in the picture.

The bear pounced as the woman and her friend were collecting birch sap
in a forest near Tynda, which is located in the far east of Russia.

The woman's dog barked before the attack, apparently sensing the danger,
but it was too late and both she and the pet were overwhelmed by the
wild animal.

'The bear evidently thought the woman was dead and sought to bury her
and hide its prey, apparently saving its next meal,' reported The Siberian Times.

When rescuers arrived at the scene, the bear attempted to attack them too.

In order to save the woman's life, the group had no choice but to shoot and kill the highly-aggressive four year old female.

Shot dead: The woman's dog barked before the
attack, apparently sensing the danger, but it was too late and both she
and the pet were overwhelmed by the wild animal (pictured)

After killing the bear,
the rescuers noticed the woman's arm, bloodied from claw wounds, jutting
out of a pile of leaves and sticks.

Mrs Pasternak was still 'alive and conscious', despite her serious
injuries. Her first question to the rescuers was: 'Have you killed the
bear?'

The 55-year-old suffered serious scalp and thigh wounds, and remains in a state of 'deep shock'.

Doctors at Tynda Hospital said she is still in a 'severe' condition, with her two adult children at her bedside. - Daily Mail.

Dolphins caught going on whale rides in Hawaii

Dolphins and whales have shown play behavior

We know dolphins are playful. We know dolphins are smart. We know
dolphins have sex for pleasure. We get it - dolphins just wanna have
fun. But did you know dolphins like to go on whale rides?

Well, they do. A lot.

The following clip shows how, around the islands of Hawaii, dolphins and
humpback whales have been engaging in some form of sea wrestling, with
the whales lifting the dolphins out of the water and letting them slide
down their backs.

There are a number of pictures across a number of locations, meaning that this behaviour is more widespread than first thought.

The observers noted that the behaviour was unlike other animal symbiotic
relationships in that it was not for a beneficial purpose (such as
parasitism), but almost certainly for play.

Like me, you are probably upset that whales and dolphins have been
hanging out together all this time and they didn't tell us about it.

We are unsure exactly what the whale gets out of this situation, other
than perhaps a nice back rub, but the pictures certainly make me want to
put on the ol' dolphin costume and head down to the beach.

Based in Berlin, Dan Wighton is a part-time writer, full-time
Australian who harbours ambitions of stand-up comedy and using the word
'ubiquitous' in a sentence.
- Techly.

115,000 birds to be killed due to avian flu in South Dakota, United States

Two more turkey farms in South Dakota have been confirmed to have some form of the deadly bird flu that's swept through poultry operations across the Midwest.

State Veterinarian Dustin Oedekoven tells the Yankton Press and Dakotan (http://bit.ly/1E6iE9F ) the two farms in Yankton and Hutchinson Counties have around 115,000 birds combined. He says crews plan to begin euthanizing birds at both farms Wednesday.

It's still not known whether the farms have been impacted by the highly pathogenic H5N2 strain. State officials are waiting for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to confirm the exact strain.

The H5N2 strain of the virus has affected more than 32 million birds in the Midwest so far.

Oedekoven cites South Dakota's less dense poultry industry as one reason the state has had fewer farms affected. - Herald Online.

Thousands of dead fish found washed up on a beach in Lorento, Mexico

Thousands of fish stranded overnight yesterday, on a beach in this
port, which caused the concern of citizens and authorities
(Rafael Luengas Davis photo) / the Sudcaliforniano

It isexpectedthatforthenext fewdaystheauthoritiescanwhenleastgiveapreliminaryinformationontheamountofdeadfishandmainlyaroundthepossiblecausesforthissituationwhich,atfirstglance,does nothaveahistory of close.

It is importanttomentionthattheParknationalBayofLoreto,oneofthemostimportantprotectedareasintheseaofCortez, orGulfofCalifornia,hasbeen a fundamentalfactorfortherecoveryofmanyspeciesdue totheimplementationofhighlysuccessfulconservationprograms.

1.7 MILLION birds to be killed due to avian flu in Nebraska, America

The bird flu outbreak has spread
into northeast Nebraska. Now, officials are planning to kill 1.7
million chickens on an egg farm in Dixon County.

The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service said Tuesday that the presence of the illness on the farm as
first one in Nebraska.

Bird flu is already widespread in Iowa, where
more than 26 million chickens have been lost.

Officials routinely
destroy the entire flock when the disease is found to limit its spread.

The Agriculture Department says the bird flu
doesn't represent a significant health risk to humans, and no human
infections have been found. - WOWT.

1,000 birds dead, 12,000 killed due to avian flu in Betzet, Israel

Culling fowls at Moshav Sde Moshe during a bird flu outbreak in Israel in 2006.
Photo by Dan Keinan

Israel has reported an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu virus in the north of the country, two months after declaring a series of similar outbreaks earlier this year had been resolved, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said on Tuesday.

The highly pathogenic H5N1 virus caused the death of 1,000 10-week-old turkeys on a farm in Bezet near the border with Lebanon, the OIE reported on its website, citing data submitted by Israel's ministry of agriculture.

The outbreak follows similar ones in January and February, the first in nearly three years, which prompted the death or culling of over 300,000 birds, mainly turkeys.

But the farm ministry had said in a report to the Paris-based OIE on March 1 that the event had been resolved.

In addition to the animals that died of the disease, about 12,000 turkeys were culled in Bezet due to the outbreak, the ministry said.

High pathogenic H5N1 bird flu first infected humans in 1997 in Hong Kong. It has since spread from Asia to Europe and Africa and has become entrenched in poultry in some countries, causing millions of poultry infections and several hundred human deaths.

The strain is different to the H5N2 strain that has been spreading in the United States, leading to the death or culling of nearly 30 million birds so far. - Haaretz.

20 TONS of dead fish found floating in a lagoon in Ursulo Galvan, Mexico

It wasreportedthattheproblemofpollutionofinventivenesstothegaphasmorethan40yearsandalthoughthere areofficialswhoareinterestedinresolvingthissituation,startnegotiations,butcomethechangesofGovernmentandeverythingstaysstagnant.

Large amount of dead fish found in a river in Shenzhen, China

Due to recent heavy rains, the longganghe River along the new road
black stink, floating the River a lot of dead fish. Shenzhen economic
daily reporter Zeng Zhihui photography

"The Shenzhencommercialdailynews"(by staff reporterZeng Zhihui)yesterday,MrWONG, who lives inLonggangtown, peoplecall the hotlinesreflect the Shenzhencommercialdailysaidlongganghenewroadarea, in recentdays the RiverBlackstink,floating the Rivera lot ofdeadfish,attractingmanypeople to catchfish in theriver.Yesterday, the Longgang District, the waterauthorityresponded by sayingthatdeadfishassociatedwithstorm-causedpollution, members of the publicdo notsalvageediblespecies.

Afterreceiving the reports from the public, and reportersyesterdaymorningtoLonggangTownCenterlongganghevisits the waters of newlife.Liwanhotelis located in the newroadsections, the reportersaw,across the River from the rivermudsilting of black,acool breezeblowing, the airwasimmediatelyastrongstenchhung over;River is muddyyellow,largePalmsizeoffishturnedbelly,as the waterslowlyrolling,loomingup and down, and the rise and fallin the water. You canstillseea fewsmalllivefish,alsois the feebleLeafs,occasionallystruggles to shakeits tail,thenfloatonwater,not moving.

The newspaperpeople, MrWongsaid,deadfishstartingfrom the 10th,onebegins with the riverDimstinks, it wasn'tlongbeforewesaw a lot of deadfishfloatingon the sea surface.As the dayis a weekend, a lot of peopleplayingin the River,see the occurredphenomena of largeareas of deadfish,frightened a lot of peoplehavereturned to shore.Somenearbyresidents to seethissituation,thenheldunder the net to catchfishin the river.

Reportersalong the longgangheto continue towalkdownfound, the rivermud-coloredtoblack, the stinkismore and moredense,dryon both sideswhereyou cansee a lot of deadfishcarcasses,large areas of deadfishalong the bankscontinue todriftdown.Intervieweesindicatedthatlongganghethere are lots ofdeadfishisnot the firsttime this has happened,as long asitrains heavily, the riverwater qualitywilldeteriorate,moredeadfish. - SZSB. [Translated]

Hundreds of dead fish washing up in Hamilton, Bermuda

The Ministry of Health, Seniors and Environment has received several reports of fish 'die-offs' occurring recently in the inshore waters of the Island.

Reports began on Saturday, May 9th regarding the discovery of dead red-eared sardines (also known as pilchards) in the region of Shelly Bay, Hamilton Parish.

A biologist from the Department of Conservation Services attended the area and estimated that several hundred fish had been affected and observed a suspected algae bloom, which may be the cause of the dead fish. Samples of the fish and water were collected for testing.

Additional reports have also surfaced of dead fish of the same species in the Spanish Point area, Whalebone Bay and Coot Pond, St. George’s; however the number of fish at the latter sites were small. A further suspected algae bloom was reported in the waters off Tuckers Town and another along the north shore of Harrington Sound.

The plankton bloom, when coupled with calm weather and light easterly winds, can create low oxygen levels in the waters of western-facing bays, such as Shelly Bay and at Spanish Point. These conditions could have caused the fish mortality.

"A change in wind direction may bring more fish carcasses to shore but would also disperse the bloom and re-oxygenate the water column," explained a spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Protection. "We expect the conditions which caused the die-off to diminish; already a check of Shelly Bay today revealed no further mortality.

"It is important for the public to keep in mind that these kinds of episodes do occur naturally. Swimmers at Shelly Bay have not reported any resultant illness, and the Department of Health has no reports of related illness. There is no cause to avoid swimming, however the Ministry reminds people to not consume any dead fish, nor should the fish be offered to any pet animal." - Today in Bermuda.

Mass die off of fish in fish farms in Xingbin District, China

Yesterdaymorning, the reporterreceived a tip from xingbindistrictchanglingvillagers to castitslong DongQing Shui hechangling"Gongdu"cagebaseofbiggrass carp,catfish, largearea, such asdeath,directeconomiclossesamounting to hundredsofthousands of dollars. It is understoodthatthefarmlast year, had beensubjected to aconcretemixingstation of oilpollution in the upper reaches,whichnearly2000pounds of fish were killed,lostseventy thousand or eighty thousand dollars.Afterwards,thecompensation of 40,000yuaneconomicloss of concretemixingstation.Lastoffishdeathscaused by"murderer"isoilpollution,whatis itthis time?At present, the environmental protection,fisheryand otherrelevantdepartmentshave beeninvolved in the investigation.

MrMengsaidin October 2013, hecombinedwith4othervillagersbegan to buildfishcage culturein the Qingshui River, cave,initiallyraisingcarp, in June last yearafter the establishment of cooperativesstarted to expand the scale of farming,increasedthecarp,catfish,tilapia,cagewatersnearly1200square meters,one of the biggestcageabout500square meters,thethousandsof pounds of the hybridculture of grass carp,common carpandcatfish.Asbefore the accident,thebreedingbasehas an averageweightof6kggrass carpmorethan 1200 square-tail,3kgmore thanfollowingmore than 5,000 smallgrass carp,carpmore than 3,000 more thanmore thanmore thanmore than 3,000 end,tilapia, and catfish to more than 11,000.May 9 at 5o'clock in the afternoon, fishbeganfloatingheadin the cage.

"The fishsurfacedhere,wethought it was the water of oxygen."MrMengsaidafterfinding the wrong,theyimmediatelyopenedthecagesin a oxygenequipment to transportoxygen,butit was too late,half anhouraftercagesoffishbegan to appearinlarge-areadeath.Eventually,morethan 1200 square-tailedlargecarponlyrescuearound the end of the80,andtilapia,most of the dead,catfish,carp, werenotspared. - GX News. [Translated]

Thousands of dead fish wash up in the fjords of More og Romsdal, Norway

At the same time, there is littlein the area thatone could imaginehadsuchconsequencesif itended up inthe sea.And it seemsas ifthere is onlylaksesildthat isaffected.Anythingthat strengthens the researcherOtteBjellandhistheory thatit's all abouta natural phenomenon. - TK. [Translated]

Jumbo kills 80-yr-old man in Hanur, India

Kondaiah Naika, 80, was killed by an elephant at Gundekallu forest of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary on Tuesday evening.

Naika hails from the nearby Bandalli village in the taluk. The incident
occurred when he was on his way to get some forest produce. His body was
found by Forest personnel who were on their routine beat. The body was
handed over to Naika's family members after post mortem.

A case has been registered at the Hanur police station. - Deccan Herald.

Police shoot dog following savage attack which left owner's flesh hanging off his arm and leg in Gloucester, UK

A dog has been shot by police officers in Gloucester after it attacked its owner so badly he had "flesh hanging from his arm and leg".

A force spokesman said officers contained the animal in a garden in King Edwards Avenue at about 1.50pm.

An attempt to stun the dog using a taser failed and officers were forced to kill it using a shot gun.

The owner, who has been taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital for
treatment, was attacked by the dog after he attempted to put its collar
back on.

Police say the owner of the dog then sought refuge in a neighbour's house until police arrived.

A police spokesman said: "The owner of a dog reported he had been
attacked by his dog - he suffered bites to his arms and legs and a
broken finger.

"Officers did everything they could to contain it and put it down humanely.Even when they tried to contain it with a pole, it would not be subdued.

"Because of a risk to the public they had to make that decision."

The road was also closed until the dog was contained.

A neighbour, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he saw the drama unfold when he was walking his own dog.

He said: "There were about four or five police cars there and one of my
neighbours said the man was savaged by a dog and had flesh hanging from
his arm and leg. It was quite a big dog and it took two officers to
carry it off in a bag." - Western Daily Press.

Woman is savaged by an angry beaver in Russia

Evgenia Eliseeva, 24, said she went outside her
home in south west Russia to make a phone call when she felt the animal
latch on to her calf

A woman in Russia who had her leg ripped open by an angry beaver was
saved after a neighbour came running over and stabbed it in the head.

Evgenia Eliseeva, 24, was at home in her village in southwest Russia's
Lipetsk region when she went outside to get a better phone signal to
call her mum.

But as she started dialling she felt a terrible pain in her leg and looked down to see a large animal had bitten into her calf.

Miss Eliseeva said: 'I was in complete shock and had no idea what it was at first.

'I thought it might have been a dog that had jumped on me. It was quite
dark but it seemed to be standing on its tail as it was so tall.

'Then it he got on all fours and charged at me again. Its teeth
were in my leg and it was furiously shaking its head from side to side.

'I was screaming like a maniac and this man suddenly appeared out of nowhere and attacked the beaver.'

'I
didn't stop to think what it was, I just pulled out my knife and
plunged it into the creature's back. It was only later I realised it was
a beaver and not a dog.'

Beaver attacks are rare though not unprecedented, and according to experts usually happen when the animals are rabid - though there is no evidence to suggest the one which attacked Miss Eliseeva was infected.

Beaver expert Alexsander Saveliev told local media: 'The only deadly
beaver attack I can recall happened in Belarus when one attacked a
fisherman.

'He bled to death after the beaver's teeth severed an artery in his leg.'

In 2012 two girls were mauled by a beaver as they swam through a lake in
Virginia, though they survived with bites and scratches.

In late April 2011, a rabid beaver attacked a fisherman in the White
Clay Creek area of Chester County, Pennsylvania, though he escaped after
drowning the animal.

'I have no idea what it was doing here but I will take a torch with me when I go out at night again.'

Beaver teeth, which are used by the rodent to chew through tree trunks
and bark, are exceptionally sharp and capable of causing a large amount
of damage if used in attacks.

Beavers are the second largest rodents in the world, second to the
capybara, and adults can measure more than 4ft from head to the tip of
their tail. - Daily Mail.

30 waterbirds found dead on Lake Havasu, Arizona had blunt trauma

An eared grebe (black-necked grebe)

Birds found dead on Lake Havasu in late-April showed signs of "severe blunt trauma"
and have been sent to the National Wildlife Health Center in Wisconsin
for further testing, Arizona Game and Fish wildlife biologist Carrington
Knox said Tuesday.

A group of more than 30 dead eared grebeswere spotted
just south of Cattail Cove State Park on April 28 and reported to Game
and Fish. Lake Havasu wildlife manager Suzanne Ehret retrieved sample
specimens of the grebes and sent them to Game and Fish in Phoenix.

Knox said initial observations of the grebes showed "severe blunt trauma,"but the cause of the trauma was unknown.
She said grebes aren't "the best fliers" and have been known to fly
into power lines or be struck by boats. The testing of the birds is
ongoing.

"At this point we can't determine what the trauma was caused by," she said.

Knox said it was still unknown if environmental factors were a cause of
the grebe deaths. The wildlife center, which is part of the US Geologic
Survey, has more comprehensive testing capabilities than Game and Fish.
Knox said it is common for the state to send specimens to be tested
there and that it usually takes one or two months to receive results.

Deanna Simpson, who reported the grebes after coming across them while
fishing with her husband, said they were surrounded by blue-green algae,
which has become more prevalent on Lake Havasu in recent years.
- Today's News-Herald.